Scaffold.



J. FARA GHER. SCAFFOLD- APPLICATION FILED SEPT-17, I915.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

@ C A OUM lll lTTEU @FFTFE.

JOHN FARAGHER. OF MADISON, WISCONSIN.

SCAFFOLID.

Application filed September 17, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN Fanaorrnn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scaffolds; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to scaffolds adapted for use in connection with building operations; and the primary aim of the invention is to provide a scaffold that may be readily attached to and be firmly supported by a portion of a building without necessitating the use of nails or other penetrating fasteners. The improved scaffold is of special utility in connection with the applying of sidings, sheetings, cornices, and other work in buildings, and includes in its general organization a firmly supported platform provided with a guard rail, and with normally fold able building engaging portions that through their foldability are capable of being readily placed in position to engage portions of the building that are to form the supports for the scaffold and when in such position, swung to positions that will effect firm engagement with the supports. The foldability of the support-engaging portions in addition to facilitating the engagement and detachment of the scaffold with the supports, also facilitates storage and transportation of the scafiold.

Une simple and thoroughly practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of the improved scaffold; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of one of the support-engaging members of the scaffold; Fig. 4r is a'longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 1 4, Fig. 1.

As generally stated in the foregoing, the primary object of this invention is to provide a scaffold that is safe and thoroughly practical. and which can be readily attached or detached from a building, and in carrying out this object'of the invention, the same contemplates the employing of the main braces 1 that incline outwardly and upwardly and at their outer edges are fastened to shorter braces 2 that incline inwardly and upwardly. Braces 1 2 are firmly con Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2%, 1915.

Serial No. 51,277.

nected intermediate of their ends by the vertical standards 3, and the inner ends of braces 2 are firmly connected to intermediate portions of braces 1 by the vertical standards 4. It will be observed by referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, that standards 3 and l engage opposite sides of the braces 1 and 2 and that said standards 3 and 4 project sufiiciently above the braces 52 to form slots 5, the bottoms of which are the braces 2. The slots 5 serve to retain the planks, boards, or other material in proper position to form guard rail 6 for the scafiold.

The platform of the scafiold is formed by utilizing horizontal beams 7 which are suitably fastened at their outer ends to the lower portions of the standards 4E and to the brace 1 against the lower end of standard 3. The inner portions of the beams 7 are connected to the inner end portions of the braces 1 by the vertical braces S. The flooring of the platform may be formed of planks 9 that extend transversely across the beams 7. The floor members, as well as the members of the guard rail, preferably have their meeting endsoverlapped as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for strengthening and safety purposes as will be apparent. The platform thus comprises the beams 7 and the planks 9 although it will be understood that the platform could comprise a single sheet or plate of material.

For the sake of brevity and conciseness in the following descriptive matter and in the claims, the braces 1 and 2 will be referred to as the main and auxiliary braces, respectively, and the braces 8 as the platform braces.

The inner ends of the main braces extend within the sockets 10 of the couplings 11, bolts 12 and nuts 13 being utilized to make such connection a rigid but separable one. Each coupling includes upper and lower spaced parallel rearwardly projecting plates 1%, that are duplicates and are provided with corner ears 15 and 16, respectively, and adjacent the cars 15 the plates 14: are provided with lateral projections 17, each set of projections 17 being provided with alined openings 18. Plates ll embrace opposite surfaces of a support-engaging bar 19, and are pivotally connected thereto by the pivot bolts 20 that extend through the ears 15 as well as through the bars 19.

1 Provision is made for locking bars 19 against pivotal movement by utilizing the anchored bolts 21 that extend through the openings 18 of ears 16 and through said bar 19. The bolts 21 when in the position shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings, lock the bars 19 in position at right angles to the main braces 1, the position they are in when engaged with a support. Preferably the bolts 21 are anchored by the chains 22 that connect with the bolts 12. ien it is desirable or necessary to swing the bars 19 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the anchored bolts 21 are withdrawn, and the said bars swung into parallel relation with the coupling sockets, and such movement causes openings 23 in said bars to aline with the openings 18 of the projections 17, whereupon the bolts 21 are dropped through such alined openings to lock the bars in their folded position. The bars 19 have their ends provided with clips 2% equipped with laterally projecting tongues 25 for engaging the surfaces of the supporting portion of the building.

The inner ends of the floor beams are each e ui 3 ed with a con )lin havin a su ort engaging bar provided with clips, but as they are the same in all details to the couplings and bars described in connection with the main braces 1, a detailed description thereof is not thought necessary. However, there is a slight difference in structural arrangement between the support-engaging members of beams 7 and the similar parts of braces 1, such dilferences being that as the support engaging members of beam 7 are preferred to engage the supporting portions of the building from the inner side and the similar parts of braces 1 perform the same function from the outer side, necessarily the inner ends of beams 7 project slightly beyond the inner ends of braces l.

The improved scaffold may be used in connection with windows and other openings, or as suggested by'dotted lines in Figs. 1, 3 and 1, in connection with the usual studding or other vertical parts of buildings. In the latter event the bars 19 of the beams 7 are folded so that they may be passed between two of the studding members A, then swung to an open position and their clip tongues frictionally engaged with said members A. The bars 19 of braces 1 are then suitably engaged with the opposite surfaces of the studding members, but at lower points. A reversal of the described movemerits of the bars will release the scaffold from the supports.

In addition to the simple yet effective manner of detachably fastening the scaffold to the building, it will be observed that the manner in which the scaffold is constructed is such that great strength and durability is obtained at a small cost inasmuch as the entire scaii'old may be formed of low grade lumber nailed together and the arrangement of parts is such that a firm support is provided for the platform, as well as for the guard rails.

I claim:

1. A scaffold comprising a main brace and an auxiliary brace connected at their outer ends, vertical standards arranged in spaced parallel relation and connecting the braces, the standards projecting above the auxiliary brace and forming between them a slot, the base of said slot being the auxiliary brace, guard rail members having their ends seated in the slot, a platform beam having one portion connected to one of the standards and the main brace, a platform brace connection between the main brace and the platform beam, and means carried by the main brace and the platform beam for engaging opposite surfaces of portions of a building.

2. A scaffold comprising a main brace, an auxiliary brace attached thereto, standards carried by the braces and arranged in spaced parallel relation to provide a guard rail seat between them, the bottom of said seat being formed by the auxiliary brace, a platform carried by the main brace and standards, and means carried by the platform and main brace for engaging opposite surfaces of the portions of a building.

3. A scaffold comprising a platform, a brace therefor, a coupling carried by the platform, a support engaging bar pivotally connected to the coupling, means for preventing pivotal movement of the bar, a coupling carried by the brace, a support-engaging bar pivotally connected to the brace coupling, and means for preventing pivotal movement of the last mentioned bar.

4. A scaffold comprising a platform beam, a brace connected to the same, a coupling having a socket for the reception of the free end of the beam and provided with plates, a support engaging bar pivotally connected to the plates, means for preventing pivotal movement of the bar relative to the plates, a coupling having a socket for the free end of the brace and provided with plates, a support engaging bar pivotally connected with the last mentioned plates, and means for preventing pivotal movement of the last mentioned bar.

5. A scaffold comprising a platform beam, a brace therefor, a coupling carried by the platform, a bar pivotally connected to the coupling for engaging the inner surfaces of supports, means carried by the ends of the bar for engaging surfaces of said supports at right angles to the surfaces engaged by the bar, means for preventing pivotal movement of the bar, a coupling carried by the brace, a bar pivotally connected to the brace coupling for engaging the outer surfaces of supports, means carried by the ends of the last mentioned bar for engaging surfaces of the supports at right angles'to the surfaces engaged by the said bar, and means for locking the brace bar against pivotal movement.

6. A scaffold comprising an outwardly and upwardly inclined main brace, an inwardly and upwardly inclined auxiliary brace connected to the outer end of the main brace, standards connecting said braces and arranged in spaced parallel relation to provide a slot therebetween, the bottom of said slot being formed by the auxiliary brace, guard rails seated in the slot, a platform beam connected to the lower portion of the have hereunto set my hand at Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin,

in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN FARAGHER,

Witnesses F. N. MUELLER, JOHN SHAUGHNESSY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

